Office indicator



(N'O ModeL) J. A.. LEIGHTON. OFFICE INDICATOR.

Patented Febl 22, .1898.

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UNiTED f STATES J PATENT OFFICE.,

JAMESYA. LEIGI-ITON, OF WAYNESBOROUGH, VIRGINIA.

OFFICE INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming `part of Letters Patent No. 599,657, dated February 22, 1898.

Application led December 18, 1896. vRenewed February 1, 1898. Serial No. 668.775. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES A. LEIGHTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waynesborough, in the county of Augusta and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. A

This invention relates to indicators, and is designed for the convenience of business men, such as lawyers, doctors, merchants, &c.

The obj ect of the invention is to provide an article in the form of a perpetual calendar having provision whereby the current date may be represented on the indicator, together with the time of departure and arrival and the nature of the business which has called the business man away from his office or store.

To this end the invention consists in certain novel features and details of construction and arrangements of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the'drawings, and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved indicator. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig.

3 is a cross-section taken on the line of` Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the revoluble disks carrying the names of the months. Fig. 5 is a similar view of a second disk carrying the naines of the months and rotatable on the same axis as shown in Fig. 4.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the front of the indicator, which may consist of a flat plate or board, the same being provided with suitable apertures forming display-openings for bringing to View portions of disks, rollers, or tapes mounted in rear of the front 1. The front 1 is preferably arched at its top edge and a segmental space left upon which may be placed the name of the business man and the class of business in which he is eu-I gaged, together with any other desired information. About centrally of the front 1 is arranged a timepiece 3, which not only gives correct time, but facilitates the adjustment of the remaining parts of the indicator when setting the same prior to departure. At the `left of the timepiece 3 a dial 4 is represented upon the front 1, said dial being silnilar to the dial of an ordinary clock and having in addition thereto the naines of the different days of the week, as indicated at 5, extending around the upper portion of the dial, and the different weeks of the month, as indicated at 6, extending around the lower portion of the dial. Journaled in front of said dial are three hands-one, 7, for indicating the hours, another, S, for the minutes, and a third, 9, for indicating the day of the week or the Week of the month. At the opposite or right-hand side of the timepiece 3 is a second similar dial 10, provided with a corresponding number of hands. The first dial 4 is to indicate the time of departure and for that purpose has represented upon it the word Left The other dial 10 is to-indicate the time of return and for that purpose has the word Return printed thereon.

11 and 12 designate a pair of dials represented on the front 1 at or near the lower portion, said dials being contiguous to each other, one of them having the words Will be back in permanently represented on the front l. This dial l1 is provided with an aperture 13, which extends through the front 1, so as to expose any one of the series of numbers on the margin of the rotatable .dial 14, journaled on a pin or bolt 15 in rear of the front 1. The dial 14 contains the numbers 1 to 80 or more, inclusive. The dial 12 is provided with an elongated aperture 16, opposite the aperture 13, for exposing portions of a rotatable disk 17, journaled on a pin or bolt 18, passing through the front 1, said disk 17 being provided with the words Minutes, Hours, Days Weeks,7 Months, and Years By this arrangement the number of minutes, hours, days, dac., may be accurately represented.

In the lower left-hand corner of the front may be represented such words as Wait for me, or words of like import, while in the lower right-hand corner is represented another dial 19 for indicating the oiiice or business hours,apertures 20 being formed through the dial and front 1 of the indicator in order to bring to view certain of a series of numer- IOO als represented on the front surface of a rotatable disk 21, mounted on a pin or bolt 22, fastened through the front 1 of the indicator. This enables the merchant or business man to make known his business or oihce hours upon the face of the indicator.

At one side of the front 1, preferably the left-hand side, is shown a column for indieating the year, month, day of the month, day of the week, tbc. At the head of this column are permanently represented the numbers 189, and in front of the numeral f is an aperture 23, beneath which is arranged a rotatable disk 21,earrying different num erals by which the fixed numerals may be supplemented to indicate any particular year. The disk 24 may be replaced by an auxiliary disk containing other numbers necessary to represent future years, and an additional plate maybe supplied with the calendar having the numerals 190 thereon, said plate being adapted to be secured to the front 1 so as to cover the numerals 189, already represented thereon. Below the year-date is arranged a roller 25, journaled behind the front end and carrying the days of the week, and under said roller is journaled another roller 26, having represented thereon the months of the year. Arranged thereunder is a pair of spaced rollers 27, around which passes a tape 2S, containing the days of the month, it being understood that in front of the rollers 25 and 2G and the tape 2S openings are left in the front 1 for displaying the desired p0rtions of said movable parts. At the opposite or right-hand side of the front l are spaced apertures 29 and 30, the upper aperture being provided with the words Left in and the lower aperture with the words Return in. Arranged behind the front 1, back of said apertures 29 and 30 and journaled on the same axis 31, are two disks 32 and 33, the said disks being arranged one in front of the other. The rear disk has represented upon its forward face the names of the months of the year, while the disk 32, which is interposed between the disk 33 and the front 1, has represented upon its front surface the names of the months of the year, and is also provided in addition thereto with a plurality of apertures 34, by means of which the months on the rear disk may be exposed through the front disk and also through one of the apertures in the front 1. By this arrangement the month in which the merchant, &c., left his office or store may be indicated, as well as the month in which he expects to return, and the arrangement also secures simplicity and compactness by reason of both disks bcing mounted on a common axis.

Above the timepiece 3 are the words Gone to, and between the said words and the timepiece 3 an aperture 35 is left through thefront 1, so as to bring to view different portions of a rotatable disk 3G, mounted behind the front 1 and movable around a pin or bolt 37. This disk 3G contains such words as Breakfast, Dinner, Supper, Post-office, dre., so that the nature of the business which has called the merchant, 85e., away from his oflice or store may be indicated on the device.

The indicator above described may be manufactured at a reasonable cost, may be finished and ornamented in any desired style, and will be found of great convenience to business men in generel.

The indicator may be placed inside of a door, so as to be visible through the glass panel thereof, or it may be placed upon the outside of the door and covered with glass or placed i'n a display-window.

If desired, a back may be supplied for the indicator, so as to cover the working parts, and the front 1 may he hinged at its bottom edge with a catch for engaging the back and holding the front in proper place, at the same time allowing the front to be swung upward for adjusting the several disks, rollers, or tapes, said disks and rollers being provided with notches for facilitating adjustment.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, isl In an indicator, the combination with the face or front thereof having apertures spaced apart and leaving an intervening space on which are represented words of information, of a pair of disks arranged one in front of the other and both arranged in rear of the front of the indicator, the front disk being provided with printed matter for exposure through either one of the apertures and also provided itself with apertures for exposing printed matter on the rear disk through one of the apertures in the front of the indicator, said apertures being located cquidistaut from the axis of rotation of the disks, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES A. LEIGHTON.

Vitnesses:

JNO. B. HUNTER, J. F. TEMPLE'roN.

ICO 

